Mac's New Partner
by jasonstoneface
Summary: A new employee joins the Phoenix Foundation. When she and MacGyver are sent on an assignment together, will their partnership become something more?


Disclaimer: I don't own MacGyver, okay? I do, however, own Leslie. So, don't sue me. (Geez Louise, I hate disclaimers)

Mac's New Partner

Peter "Pete" Thornton, a stout, balding man dressed in a grey suit, was sitting at his desk looking over some papers. The door to his office opened and in stepped his best friend and number one employee. He was a tall, well-built man dressed in a black and white striped button-down shirt with the top two buttons undone, blue jeans, black shoes, and a black leather jacket. He had a mullet of blond hair and a smile that would make a woman's heart melt. Too bad he was afraid of getting too close to a woman. Nevertheless, he walked into the office in a fairly good mood and sat down in a chair in front Pete's desk.

Pete looked up at him and smiled. "Good morning, MacGyver."

"Morning, Pete. The typical paper work?"

"Actually, no," answered Pete. "They're papers about our new employee. I'm sorry about what happened to Paul."

"Me, too," said MacGyver. "So, who's the new guy, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. You're getting something of a partner who'll work with you on assignments from time to time."

"Another troubleshooter?" asked MacGyver. Pete nodded. "Who is he?"

"She, MacGyver," corrected Pete. "Her name is Leslie Kendall. She's originally from Mississippi, but has lived in California most of her life. She just turned 29 two days ago." Handing him some of the papers, Pete said, "Take a look at some of her credentials."

"PhD in chemistry. Masters in medical practices, including CPR and Heimlech maneuver. Expert on explosives and firearms." MacGyver let out a low whistle. "Sounds like she knows her stuff." Pete nodded in agreement.

There was a beep on Pete's desk telephone. He pressed the intercom button. "Yes?"

"Mr. Thornton?" came a female voice. "A Miss Kendall is here to see you."

"Send her in, please." Pete hit the button again as he stood up and buttoned his suit.

MacGyver stood up as well. "Well, I guess I'd better leave you two to your business."

"If you don't mind, Mac, I like you to stay and meet her. Please?"

"Alright."

There was a knock on the office door. "Come in," said Pete.

The door opened and in stepped a short brunette, standing about 5'8". Her hair was shoulder-length and flowing freely. She wore a blue short-sleeved dress with a skirt that went down to just above her knees and matching blue flat-heeled pumps. She and Pete met about halfway as the woman extended her hand. As Pete shook it, she asked in Southern accent, "Mr. Thornton?"

"It's Pete. Leslie Kendall, I presume?"

"Yes, sir. I'm here for the interview over the troubleshooter position."

"Yes," said Pete. "Judging from your resume and qualifications, you seem fit for the job. Can you work well under pressure and think fast?"

"You don't have to ask twice," Leslie answered with a confident smile.

Pete returned the smile and said, "Glad to hear it. Oh, Leslie, this is MacGyver."

"Hi," said MacGyver with a smile as he extended his hand.

Leslie continued to smile as she shook it. "Nice to meet you. Pete told a little bit about you over the phone. It's my understanding that you train new employees for field certification."

"I sure do." Turning to Pete, he said, "I assume it's my job to see if she's fit to work in the field."

"Yup," confirmed Pete with a nod. He turned to Leslie. "You pass the field certification tests next week, you get the job. On behalf of the Phoenix Foundation, I unofficially welcome you aboard." He smiled as he and Leslie shook hands.

Leslie returned the smile. "Thank you, Mr. Thornton . . . I mean, Pete. And trust me, I will get this job." She then turned to MacGyver and asked, "By the way, what will I have to go through to become certified?"

"Well," said MacGyver scratching the back of his head, "I call it an obstacle course. Some of the others call it MacGyver Land."

Leslie raised an eyebrow. "MacGyver Land?"

"Trust me," said Pete. "You do NOT want to ask about it."

Pete chuckled a little and Leslie said, "I'll . . . take your word for it. Oh, would it be alright for me to use your phone? I need to call myself a cab."

"Be my guest," said Pete as he handed her the receiver. "By the way, where do you live if you don't mind me asking?"

"I don't mind," said Leslie. "I have a two-story house about a mile from the Marina."

Hearing this, Mac asked, "You live close to the Marina?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I have a houseboat docked there. I can give you a lift if it's okay with you and Pete."

"That's fine," said Pete. "If I need you, I can just call your cell phone. So, what do you say, Leslie?"

Leslie smiled as she put the phone back on the hook. "I'd appreciate that."

MacGyver reached into his pocket, pulled out his keys, tossed them in the air, and caught them. "Alright then, let's go."

The next week, Leslie was sitting in one of the cabins near the forest where "MacGyver Land" was located. She had passed all the tests and was now officially a Phoenix troubleshooter. As she and MacGyver sat down to a dinner of spaghetti, she said, "Whew. You sure know to test a girl's limits."

"Actually," said MacGyver after swallowing a mouthful of spaghetti, "you've done better than most of the men who've endured this place. Even me."

She looked at him surprised. "You really mean it?"

"Yup."

Leslie smiled and said, "Thanks, MacGyver. That means a lot to me. Now that I'm certified, I look forward to actually doing a little something."

"I've been at this a lot longer than you have, Leslie," said MacGyver. "If anyone knows how ugly this job can be, it's me."

"All I can say is bring it on," said Leslie confidently, despite her feeling of tiredness. MacGyver couldn't help but smile at this. He had never met anyone so confident.

That night as Leslie slept, MacGyver kept staring at her from his bed. Not only was she beautiful, she had the will to do anything she wanted. But was he really developing feelings for her? Even if he was, should he open up to her? No. He couldn't. He had lost so many girlfriends over the years that he wasn't sure he could bear to lose another. No, instead, he'd love her from afar. Where she wouldn't get hurt. It hurt MacGyver to do this, but he had to, he thought.

The next three weeks went by like normal, with MacGyver getting his usual assignments. Leslie had a few of them as well, though not nearly as important as his. It didn't matter. She was adjusting to Phoenix and adjusting well. However, today, things were going to be different.

Both MacGyver and Leslie entered Pete's office. "You wanted to see us, Pete?" asked MacGyver.

"Yes," said Pete. "Sit down." Both troubleshooters did as they were told. "There's been an incident in Paris. Several shipments of chemical products have been reported missing for the last five days alone. Since then, seventeen deaths have been reported."

"Seventeen deaths in five days?" asked Leslie. "But why? And with what?"

"The police are at a dead end. No traces of anything have been found in any of the victims. And the police have been receiving threatening letters saying they'll wipe all the local law enforcement agencies and their families unless several mob bosses are set free within the week. The police believe that perhaps the stolen chemicals may have been used to kill those seventeen people. All of them are either police officers or members of their families. I want you both to see if you can find out whose behind this and stop them."

"Say no more, Pete," said MacGyver. "We're on it."

"Together," added Leslie.

The two troubleshooters flew to Paris overnight, sleeping during the flight. They arrived at the airport at 11:15 a. m. in France's time zone to meet the two police officers who would be working with them. MacGyver and Leslie walked around the airport, looking for them. They soon found who they were looking for.

Two French cops dressed in black suits stood waiting for them. One was a young white cop with short blond hair. The other was an older black cop with graying hair and a graying mustache. Seeing the badges on their chests, MacGyver and Leslie walked up to them. "Officer Bon? Officer Leer?"

"I'm Officer Bon," said the older cop in a French accent. "This is my partner Officer Leer. You must be ze two agents from ze Phoenix Foundation."

MacGyver nodded as he shook hands with Bon, then Leer. "Name's MacGyver. This here is Leslie Kendall."

Bon shook Leslie's hand as did Leer. However, Leer smiled and kissed it. "Pleasure to meet you, Madame Kendall." Leslie blushed at this while MacGyver looked slightly jealous. Fortunately, no one saw it.

MacGyver said, "Our boss, Pete Thornton filled us in on the stolen chemicals and the deaths reported since then. Any idea what types of chemicals were taken."

Bon answered, "Ze chemicals taken are used in making cosmetics. But other than that, we have absolutely no leads on ze killers."

Leslie said, "We were also told that whoever's responsible for this is threatening to wipe ya'll and your families out unless several imprisoned mob bosses are freed. What kind of mob bosses are we talking about?"

Leer shrugged and said, "Drug dealers, weapons suppliers, ze usual. But we're not going to let a few deaths intimidate us."

"A few deaths?" asked Bon, turning to his partner. "Leer, I think seventeen deaths in five days is more than 'a few.' Unless we can find ze killers and fast, we may have to postpone ze policeman's ball Friday night."

"Policeman's ball?" asked MacGyver. "You mean, all the city's cops and families would be there, under one roof?" Bon and Leer nodded.

"Just their wives or dates, actually," said Leer.

"But that would be the perfect opportunity for the killers to kill all of ya'll!" protested Leslie.

"We know," said Bon. "We've taken that into consideration. Security would be tight of course, but for all we know, one of ze perpetrators could be one of our own. Which is why we'll postpone ze ball unless we catch ze killers." Bon then reached into his suit, pulled out a paper, and handed it to MacGyver. "We know that Thornton arranged to reserve a hotel for you. This is ze address. Unpack your things and meet us at ze station in two hours."

"We'll be there," said MacGyver. "Merci."

Both cops nodded and took their leave. As MacGyver and Leslie went to get their luggage, Leslie asked, "You think it's possible that one the officers could be in on this?"

"It's always possible," said Mac. "I've faced my share of corrupt cops before."

"Well, when we've done our business for the day, I want to do a little shopping. I have a theory I want to try."

"You mean you want to try and find out how these people are being poisoned?"

Leslie looked at her partner surprised. "Yeah, how did you know?"

MacGyver smiled and said, "I've been at this for a long time, remember?"

At the station, Leer was working at his desk in his private office when the phone rang. He answered, "Paris Police Department, Leer speaking."

The voice on the other end said, "Anything new?"

"Oi. Two employees from ze Phoenix Foundation are trying to halt ze operation. Bon also said that ze ball could be postponed if ze operation is stopped."

"The ball must happen," said the voice on the other end urgently. "That's ze only way we can free ze boss and begin our crime wave again. Poison these Phoenix pests. They must not be allowed to interfere. And pin ze crime on Bon."

"But-"

"Do it!"

"Yes, sir."

The voice then asked Leer, "I assume they asked for documents on ze bosses and your 'fellow' officers?"

"Oi," answered Leer with a nod. "But I made sure they weren't enough to expose my involvement."

"Good. If all goes according to plan, we'll see you at ze ball tomorrow night."

The two Phoenix employees shared a room together. It had two beds. The time at the police station had been uneventful. Leslie was out shopping while MacGyver looked over some documents concerning the stolen chemicals, police officers, and some of the mob bosses that were in jail. Leslie came into the hotel room and said, "Is everything set up?"

"Yeah," said MacGyver over his shoulder. "Go ahead and run your tests." As Leslie was getting ready to work, MacGyver said, "These documents Leer gave me aren't much help. Whoever's committing these murders has to have a reason for all these mob bosses to be set free. I'm gonna call Pete. Maybe he can run some cross-references."

Pete was sleeping when his phone rang. "Terrific," he mumbled. Reluctantly, he answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Pete, it's MacGyver."

"Mac, it's 4:00 a.m. here in L. A.! I was in the middle of my beauty sleep!"

This made Mac chuckle. He had forgotten how cranky Pete could be when abruptly woken up. 'Beauty sleep? Pete?' he thought to himself, barely able to hold back his laughter. Finally, he said, "Listen, Pete, I'm sorry for the rude awakening, but do you have access to the French police's files?"

"No, but I can gain access. Why?"

"I need you to cross-reference all the members of the police with the imprisoned mob bosses. Find anything that connects anyone of them. Anything."

"Sure, Mac, I'll do it. Now, can I please get back to sleep?"

"Sure thing, Pete. Bye."

Once MacGyver hung up the phone, Leslie looked over her shoulder with a smirk. "I take it he's cranky when woken up like that?"

"Yeah." MacGyver returned the smirk. "Look, I'm gonna go get something to eat. Does pizza sound alright?"

"Yeah, I like cheese on mine."

"Okey dokey. I'll leave you to your business."

MacGyver and Leslie were eating their pizza. As they ate, Leslie said, "Ya know, MacGyver, you and Pete are the only people who've actually treated me like a person. All my life, living in California, people have always made fun of the way I talk and called me stupid, bumpkin, or whatever because they assume that I'm unintelligent."

"I appreciate the compliment," said MacGyver. "I've never understood why people think that way about Southern folks. I mean, your accent is a part of who you are. It's a part of what makes you you."

Leslie thought about that and smiled. "You're right. I never thought of it that way." MacGyver returned the smiled and they continued eating.

As MacGyver and Leslie finished eating, MacGyver asked, "So, did you find out anything?"

"Yeah," said Leslie as she got up. "Come here." Leslie explained what she had learned.

"I was able to dilute some of the chemicals from the cosmetics I bought. Certain ingredients in hair spray, eye shadow, and other products can be used to kill people. But the poison only works when the components are mixed. When mixed together,. . ."

MacGyver interrupted, ". . . they become toxic and untraceable."

Leslie turned to him and said, "Yeah. Pete was right, you are the best!"

MacGyver smiled. "You're not so bad yourself."

That night, they were sleeping in their separate beds. MacGyver woke up and looked at the clock. It was 3:00 in the morning. He slowly got out of bed to get a drink of water. As he started walking back to his bed, he noticed something coming from the ventilation shafts. He held his breath and tried to open the door, but couldn't. He pulled off the t-shirt that he was sleeping in and tied it around his face. He ran over the Leslie and started shaking her. "Leslie, wake up! I think someone's trying to kill us!"

"What?" exclaimed Leslie as she got up. MacGyver quickly tore a piece of Leslie's robe off and tied it around her face. 

Leslie was about to head for the door, but MacGyver stopped her. "Door's jammed. Whoever's doing this wants to make sure we don't get out." They ran towards the balcony and came to a dead end. Looking down toward the parking lot, MacGyver said, "Man, I hate heights."

"We're not safe yet," pointed out Leslie. The poison gas was slowly drifting towards them.

Thinking fast, MacGyver ran in and pulled all of the sheets off the beds, including the pillowcases. He ran back to the balcony and said, "Start tying sheets together. These makeshift filters won't keep us alive for long." He then ran back inside to the linen closet and grabbed all the towels. As Leslie kept tying sheets together, MacGyver ran back out and started tying towels together. In five minutes, the makeshift rope was complete. MacGyver started tying one end around the rail while Leslie climbed over it. MacGyver threw the rest of the sheet-towel rope over the edge and climbed over the rail himself.

"Think this'll hold us?" asked Leslie.

"As long as we don't weigh too much."

"What if it tears?"

"You got any better ideas?"

Seeing MacGyver's point, Leslie started climbing down first. MacGyver followed soon after. They were only able to go two floors down, but it was enough for them to escape the poison gas. "Hey!" yelled MacGyver. "Could someone give us a hand?" A man sleeping on the floor the two troubleshooters were hanging near woke up and saw them. The man ran out and MacGyver told the man what was going on with what little French he knew. Fortunately, it was enough to convince the man to help them onto the balcony and call the police.

As MacGyver was being questioned by some officers, Leslie stood a short distance away and waited. Soon, MacGyver walked back to her. It was plain to see that something was on his mind. "Well?" Leslie asked.

"We're going to be moved to another room," said Mac. "They also told me that they found some of the stolen chemicals in Bon's office. An anonymous tip apparently. They investigated his home and found more of the stolen chemicals. There were also some addresses as to those he's supposedly working with. He's been arrested and the ball is going to proceed on Friday night, as scheduled."

"Friday night?" asked Leslie. "That's tomorrow night. But there's something wrong, isn't there?" MacGyver glanced at her. "Listen, sugah, I may not know you as well as Pete or some of the other employees at Phoenix, but I can tell you're not satisfied with what happened. So spill it."

MacGyver sighed. Leslie had read him well. "The police have been investigating this case for the past week. They haven't found the smallest piece of evidence, and now, all of a sudden, they get an anonymous tip out of the blue? This has 'frame-up' written all over it."

"You sure about that?"

"Nope."

Leslie looked at MacGyver confused. She then asked, "Who do you think would frame Bon?"

"I have my suspicions, but I'm not going to point fingers until we have some proof."

"So, what do we do?"

MacGyver looked at the sky. "I don't know. Yet."

Leer called the friend he had talked to at work on his cell phone. "I've got some bad news. Ze Phoenix employees are still alive. And ze one called MacGyver doesn't buy Bon's arrest."

"We have to get rid of them," said the voice on the other end. "We cannot take our chances of getting exposed. We must get rid of them as well as the cops and their families. Do you have any more invitations to ze ball?"

"Oi."

"Good. Invite them. We can execute our plan then."

The next day, MacGyver was sitting in the new hotel room he and Leslie had been lent after the attempted murder. He was talking to Pete on the phone. Pete said, "Mac, I've found your connection. Officer Leer is the son of arms dealer Joseph Noll. Leer is the maiden name of Noll's late wife. Noll's wife had been shot years ago when police were trying to bring him down. It wasn't until two years ago that he and several of his partners in crime were finally brought to justice."

"Then the documents of Officer Leer's history are forged," said MacGyver. "Thanks, Pete. You've been a lot of help."

"So, do you have a plan?"

"Not yet, but I'll think of something. Talk to you later."

Once MacGyver hung up the phone, Leslie walked in carrying to cards. "Hey, look, we've been invited to the ball tonight!"

"We have?" asked MacGyver. "Let me see." He took one of the cards and looked at it. Indeed, it was an invitation to the policeman's ball. From Officer Leer himself. "Well, it looks like Leer expects us to play right into his hands."

"What do you mean?" asked Leslie.

"I just spoke with Pete." MacGyver then explained, "Leer is the son of arms dealer Joseph Noll. The documents he gave me of his history are forged. We're going to have to stop Leer tonight."

MacGyver and Leslie rented clothes to wear to the ball. Leslie looked gorgeous in her white gown with matching high heels. Her hair was bunched up on top of her head. MacGyver wore a plain black tuxedo, which he hated. As they were drinking refreshments, Leslie asked, "When do we make our move?"

"When Leer gets ready to make his." MacGyver looked up and around the whole room. There were vents and intercom speakers. Any of them could be used to poison everybody in the room.

Trying to momentarily forget about the danger he felt was coming, he said, "Would you care to dance? I'm not much good, but I'm sure I can fake it."

Leslie smiled and said, "I'd love to dance with ya, sugah. And don't worry, I ain't no good either."

MacGyver smiled as he took Leslie's hand and lead her to the dance floor. They and several other couples slow-danced to the soft music. As he danced with the Southern woman, he could smell her wonderful perfume. Her touch was gentle and smooth. Oh, how he wished he could have her!

But he couldn't. He wouldn't. He wouldn't put her in danger because he loved her.

When the dance was over, everyone sat down as Leer slowly made his way to the podium to make a speech. MacGyver made sure he and Leslie got a seat near where the volume control was. Leer tested the microphone and began making his speech in French. All officers and their wives/dates listened intently. When Leer revealed that he was about to kill them, everyone stood up and tried to escape as he pulled a remote control device and a gas mask from his suit. As in MacGyver and Leslie's hotel room, the door was jammed. Leer put on the mask and was about to push the button.

MacGyver quickly ran over to the volume control and turned up the volume of the speakers before Leer could push the button. The noise caused Leer to have to cover his ears and not push the button. He tried to quickly push the button, but Leslie somehow managed to get through the crowd. She got up on the podium and kicked the remote control device out his hands. MacGyver turned down the volume and ran towards the podium. Leer stood up straight and tried to punch Leslie. Leslie ducked and grabbed his arm. She then threw him over her shoulder, Judo style. He fell down the stairs of the podium and pulled his gun from his suit, intending to shoot Leslie. However, MacGyver came up behind him, spun him around, and punched him in the face. As Leer fell into unconsciousness, MacGyver shook his hand and hissed through his teeth.

The ball attendants cheered the two heroes as one of the officers walked up to MacGyver and Leslie. "Good job," said the officer. Three other officers came up and helped Leer to his feet so they could arrest him.

"Take him away, boys," said Leslie. The officers gladly obliged.

That night, MacGyver was drying off his hair as he walked out of the bathroom, having taken a nice, refreshing shower. Leer had been taken away and Bon had been cleared. Leer was now going to be sentenced and was being forced to help the police apprehend the rest of the conspirators.

MacGyver was only wearing boxers to wear to bed as he put the towel around the back of his neck. He looked at Leslie, sleeping peacefully. How beautiful she was! How he longed to touch her. How he longed to be with her. But again, he reminded himself of the past. But what would it hurt to kiss her? As least he would know what that felt like. He deserved that much, he thought, even is she didn't know about it.

MacGyver slowly walked over to Leslie and sat down on her bed. He took a deep breath and slowly pressed his lips to hers. It wasn't making out, but it was a kiss nonetheless. He felt chills run through him, however, as he saw her wake up.

He expected her to slap him. Instead she smiled. "I've been waiting for you to do that, sugah."

MacGyver closed his eyes. "My luck in this department hasn't been very good."

"So I've heard. Mac, I . . . I think I'm in love with you."

MacGyver immediately regretted kissing her. "Please, no," he said. "I've lost too many people I care about. I . . . don't want you to join them."

"You don't want me to join them?" asked Leslie. "Or do you not want to give us a chance?"

"Leslie, look . . ."

"No, you look. I know that you're the last of your family. So am I. I know you're scared. But can you look me in the eyes and honestly tell me that you don't want to try? Are you willing to throw away a chance at happiness, . . . because of fear?" MacGyver sighed and bowed his head. He knew she was right. But was it worth it? Anyone who knew him well knew that he was scared of commitment. Leslie slowly reached up and touched his face. "MacGyver, we can take it slow. If you'd like."

MacGyver opened his eyes and looked at her. He gave a small smile and said. "I'd like that."

He kissed her passionately. She allowed him to play with her tongue. This was to be the start of a beautiful journey.

The End


End file.
